Highway 32 widening project starts Monday

CHICO &GT;&GT; The long-planned widening of Highway 32 between the park and ride lot and El Monte Avenue starts Monday and will continue through January.

Knife River Construction will begin construction work next week on the $5.5 million first phase of the widening project, which consists of construction of safety, circulation and aesthetic enhancements to bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle facilities. The multi-phased project will eventually result in the conversion of Highway 32 east of Highway 99 from a two-lane undivided highway to a four-lane divided highway with median.

"It's very exciting to be moving forward, especially with such large grants from Caltrans to make that possible," said Public Works Director Ruben Martinez. "We are looking forward to the widening. There is congestion there at peak hours and it will alleviate the congestion there for a period of time."

The project began in 2004 when Caltrans and the city reached an agreement about local traffic impacts to that section of the highway, which is why it's the city's responsibility to fund the expansion. Eventually, cumulative effects of development in east Chico will make the expansion a requirement, Martinez said.

The timeline for the need is unpredictable but Meriam Park and the Oak Valley project, which broke ground in fall 2013, hinge on this project.

The project nearly stalled late last year when it appeared the city could not provide a local match for grant funds, even though it had already expended more than $1 million on permits and environmental review. Eventually the state department of finance released Redevelopment Agency bond proceeds it had been holding in dispute after the agency's dissolution, and the city is utilizing $2.1 million of those funds in addition to a $3.4 million state grant from the Corridor Mobility Improvement Account to fund the first phase.

The first phase will replace existing trees and landscaping on the north side of the highway, construct decorative precast-concrete sound walls, plant new trees and landscaping, widen the roadway and Dead Horse Slough bridge from two to four lanes, open a second left-turn lane on Forest Avenue, and modify existing traffic signals.

Subsequent phases of the project will extend the widening from El Monte to Bruce Road, and ultimately to Yosemite Drive. No funding is yet in place for those phases.

The goal of the project is to reduce traffic delays, reduce emissions from idling vehicles, provide bicycle facilities at Forest Avenue, provide pedestrian safety improvements, support additional capacity needs for future development, and help maintain and improve neighborhood connectivity.

Local access through the construction zone will be subject to traffic controls and temporary delays. Motorists are encourage to build extra time into their schedules or plan alternate routes.

Residents and businesses will have access to their properties at all times.